National Lawyers Guild - Baltimorehttp://www.nlg.org/taxonomy/term/359
enBaltimore Needs Much More than Just Indictmentshttp://www.nlg.org/news/blog/baltimore-needs-much-more-just-indictments
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<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.nlg.org/sites/default/files/styles/full_node/public/images/BaltimoreCivilRightsTodayDevinAllen.png?itok=tisGTPN_" width="400" height="400" alt="Photo by Devin Allen (instagram.com/bydvnlln)" title="Photo by Devin Allen (instagram.com/bydvnlln)" /> </div>
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<p dir="ltr"><strong>by Oren Nimni, TUPOCC Chair and Sharlyn Grace, National Vice President</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">As police violence against Black community members and protesters continued this week in Baltimore, we were again reminded why we are proud to be a part of the National Lawyers Guild. The NLG quickly worked with other groups to mobilize legal support for the #BaltimoreUprising by assisting through Legal Observation, jail support, and legal defense coordination for those protesting the police murder of Freddie Gray.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-540ce0bb-3408-e303-1c9e-7e389d93efd6">Last Friday, May 1st, Maryland State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby recognized protesters’ demands for justice, saying, “</span>To the people of Baltimore and the demonstrators across America, I heard your call for ‘no justice no peace.’” Her <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/may/01/baltimore-freddie-gray-death">announcement that the six officers who arrested Freddie Gray will be criminally prosecuted</a> was a clear and direct result of community protest. While news of the prosecution is encouraging—if only because it acknowledges police murder as murder—we should not expect these officers to face the same justice system as the general public. In the rare circumstances that police officers are criminally charged, they tend to face lighter penalties at every step of the process. In contrast,18 year-old protester Allen Bullock, charged with only misdemeanors, <a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121702/baltimore-rioter-gets-bail-above-freddie-grays-alleged-cop-murderer">is being held on bond $150,000 higher than the BPD officer charged with murder</a>. Furthermore, once charged, <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/allegations-of-police-misconduct-rarely-result-in-charges/">police officers face much lower conviction and incarceration rates than civilians</a>.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-540ce0bb-3408-e303-1c9e-7e389d93efd6">However, even if the legal system treated police officers and civilians equally, it still would not provide the justice and change sought by residents of Baltimore. Prosecution of individual officers cannot correct the deeply entrenched conditions and systems that have enabled and will continue to enable police violence against Black and Brown communities. While punishment of some officers may have a small impact on police behavior, it will not provide the long-lasting, sustainable reform required to end police violence. Prosecution is a narrow and individualized process and not equipped to address any systemic problems. The problem is not just these six cops. The problem is also not just the Baltimore Police Department (although they are notorious). While the police continue to enforce conditions of poverty, there will be violence. While the police continue to degrade and dehumanize women, trans* and gender non-conforming people, there will be violence. While the police occupy communities of color, there will be violence. When we seek an end to police violence, we seek, in part, an end to police. A just resolution can only come from addressing systemic issues in policing and real attempts to meet the needs of the community at large, things that prosecution is not designed to handle. A just resolution in Baltimore will address not only the city’s long history of </span><a href="http://data.baltimoresun.com/news/police-settlements/">police violence</a>, but also the <a href="http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-10-15/news/bs-ed-baltimore-poverty-20131015_1_poverty-rate-elizabeth-kneebone-baltimore-suburbs">economic privation</a> and <a href="http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-09-12/news/bs-md-ci-baltimore-curfew-questioned-20130911_1_curfew-police-union-police-commissioner-anthony-w">state control</a> that helped spur such strong resistance by its residents.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><img alt="" src="//www.nlg.org/sites/default/files/images/BaltimoreTanksRevOsagyefoSekou%E2%80%8F.png" style="width: 400px; height: 349px; margin: 10px; float: right;" width="400" height="349" /></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-540ce0bb-3408-e303-1c9e-7e389d93efd6">Like the police, the prosecutor’s office is fundamentally a source of violence against Black, Brown, and poor people. Despite Ms. Mosby’s willingness to prosecute police for their crimes, her office has detained hundreds of protesters in </span><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/30/1381508/-Public-Defender-Describes-Vile-And-Illegal-Conditions-Of-Baltimore-Citizens-Being-Held-In-Jail">unconstitutional conditions</a>—arguably in order to prevent and discourage further protest—and continues to prosecute Black youth for violation of an <a href="http://www.aclu-md.org/press_room/224">unconstitutional curfew</a>. As a prosecutor, Ms. Mosby is herself a stakeholder is the system of mass incarceration and a gatekeeper to imprisonment for the young people of Baltimore.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-540ce0bb-3408-e303-1c9e-7e389d93efd6">We are hardly the first </span><a href="http://www.incite-national.org/page/incite-critical-resistance-statement">to recognize the limitations and failures of the criminal legal system to address violence</a>, including <a href="http://www.usprisonculture.com/blog/2015/05/01/some-thoughts-on-the-run/">the specific prosecution of these officers</a>. Until we abolish the police, we must stand behind all efforts to create meaningful civilian oversight of police conduct, <a href="http://hankjohnson.house.gov/press-release/rep-johnson-reintroduces-bipartisan-bill-de-militarize-police">stop the flow of military equipment to police departments</a>, and <a href="https://disarmnypd.org/">disarm the police</a>. We must support campaigns to end the unjustifiable harassment of Black and Brown communities in the form of “stop-and-frisk” and broken-windows policing. While we work to end the police, we must take every avenue open to us to save lives in the meantime.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-540ce0bb-3408-e303-1c9e-7e389d93efd6">Since Michael Brown’s murder on August 9, 2014, the country has mobilized behind the simple truth that #BlackLivesMatter. Increased public attention to police violence provides us with the opportunity to dream bigger and demand better solutions than those offered by our current legal systems. Prosecution is not enough. As lawyers and legal professionals, we must follow the leads of community members and especially of young Black people most targeted by police. We hope many of you will join us in attending </span><a href="http://www.law4blacklives.org/">Law for Black Lives</a> later this summer, where critical conversations about the role of legal support for these movements will be taking place. In the meantime, let’s ask Ms. Mosby to show her appreciation for the protesters she thanked last week by using her position to <a href="http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/thank-you-marilyn-mosby/">drop all their charges</a>.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><em><span id="docs-internal-guid-540ce0bb-3408-e303-1c9e-7e389d93efd6">Oren Nimni is Chair of </span><a href="//www.nlg.org/committees/tupocc">The United People of Color Caucus (TUPOCC)</a> of the NLG and a People’s lawyer in Boston.</em></p>
<p><em><span id="docs-internal-guid-540ce0bb-3408-e303-1c9e-7e389d93efd6">Sharlyn Grace is a </span><a href="//www.nlg.org/sharlyn-grace">National Vice-President</a> of the NLG. She lives in Chicago, where she is an active member of NLG Chicago’s <a href="http://nlgchicago.org/programs/legal-observers/">mass defense efforts</a> and <a href="http://wechargegenocide.org/">We Charge Genocide</a>.</em></p>
<p><em><span style="line-height: 22.0000495910645px;">Photos (top to bottom) by <a href="https://instagram.com/bydvnlln">Devin Allen</a> </span></em><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;"><em>and <a href="https://twitter.com/revsekou">Rev. Osagyefo Sekou</a>.</em></span></p>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/359" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Baltimore</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/478" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">#BlackLivesMatter</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/109" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">police accountability</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/244" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">police brutality</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/36" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">protest</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/123" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">policing protest</a> </div>
Fri, 08 May 2015 15:06:43 +0000Tasha1680 at http://www.nlg.orghttp://www.nlg.org/news/blog/baltimore-needs-much-more-just-indictments#commentsNLG Queer Caucus Opposes Baltimore PD’s Treatment of Trans Woman Held in Men’s Prisonhttp://www.nlg.org/news/announcements/nlg-queer-caucus-opposes-baltimore-pd-treatment-trans-woman-held-men-prison
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kt Crossman, Queer Caucus Chair </div>
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<p><a href="mailto:queercaucus@nlg.org">queercaucus@nlg.org</a></p>
<p>BALTIMORE—<span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">The Baltimore police department has much to answer for: the events of the last few weeks have drawn our attention to this, from the callous murder of Freddie Gray to the hundreds of people arrested protesting his murder who were then held for an unconstitutional length of time (47 hours) in inhumane conditions and then released with no explanation and, for most, no way to know if or for what they would face charges.</span></p>
<p>Deairra Michelle Venable was one of the <a>dozens </a>of people arrested on the night of April 27, while filming video of police activity during a protest calling for justice for Freddie Gray. At central booking, when police discovered she had been assigned male at birth, they transferred her to a men's facility. First, they strip-searched her and left her naked in a glass cell in central booking for 45 minutes, while people outside leered and cracked jokes. Police forced Deairra to remove her bra before taking her to the men's facility, leaving her breasts exposed in the sheer thermal shirt she was wearing when she was arrested. Deairra was held for four days in these unconscionable and inhumane conditions, denied her medication, exposed to and harassed by male guards and detainees, and ridiculed by the bail commissioner.</p>
<p> Deairra has identified as a woman since she was 14. She was one of the first openly trans students in the Baltimore public school system, from which she graduated as an excellent student. At 30, she now has a job at a hair salon. Her bail, for fourth degree burglary (a minor and broadly-defined charge), was set at $100,000. While Deairra's friends managed to raise $10,000, her lawyers, Astrid Munn and Mirriam Seddiq of <a href="http://www.seddiqlaw.com">Seddiq Law</a> in Baltimore, are representing Deairra pro bono. They have set up a crowdfunding campaign to cover Deairra's court costs, including any potential forthcoming civil suit at <a href="file:///C:\Users\nathan.NLG\Desktop\life.indiegogo.com\fundraisers\baltimore-city-transgender-legal-defense-fund">life.indiegogo.com/fundraisers/baltimore-city-transgender-legal-defense-fund</a>.</p>
<p> The NLG Queer Caucus strongly condemns mass incarceration and the intentional and excessive targeting of trans women, particularly trans women of color. Deairra's experience illustrates how the prison industrial complex is especially harmful for trans women, who already face disproportionate rates of violence and murder. The Queer Caucus calls on the Baltimore Police Department and police departments around the country to develop best practices for housing trans and gender-nonconforming detainees according to their self-identified gender, to ensure those inmates' physical and emotional safety while they are incarcerated, and to provide all necessary health care to them. The Queer Caucus also calls on the Baltimore Police Department to put an immediate halt to police violence against trans women, and to respond meaningfully when violence against trans women is reported to them.</p>
<p><em>The Queer Caucus provides a space for queer members to come together to discuss and strategize about work and their role within the NLG. </em></p>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/359" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Baltimore</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/499" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Queer Caucus</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/500" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">trans rights</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/478" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">#BlackLivesMatter</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/109" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">police accountability</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/123" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">policing protest</a> </div>
Tue, 05 May 2015 14:31:59 +0000Tasha1676 at http://www.nlg.orghttp://www.nlg.org/news/announcements/nlg-queer-caucus-opposes-baltimore-pd-treatment-trans-woman-held-men-prison#commentsNLG-Maryland Decries Arrests of 12 Legal Observers at May 2 Protests; Calls Curfew "Unconstitutional"http://www.nlg.org/news/releases/nlg-maryland-decries-arrests-12-legal-observers-may-2-protests-calls-curfew
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<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.nlg.org/sites/default/files/styles/full_node/public/LO%20arrest%20Baltimore.png?itok=qKWVScfp" width="400" height="198" alt="" /> </div>
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<span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2015-05-03T12:15:00-04:00">May 3, 2015</span> </div>
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<div><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">Colin Starger</span></div>
<div>National Lawyers Guild, Maryland Chapter</div>
<div><a href="mailto:Colinstarger@gmail.com">Colinstarger@gmail.com</a></div>
<div>917-749-7867</div>
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<div>BALTIMORE—The Maryland Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) decries the arrests of <span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">twelve NLG Legal Observers on Saturday night. Wearing clearly identifiable green </span><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">hats with the words “National Lawyers Guild Legal Observer” printed on them, </span><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">these neutral observers were documenting police behavior during the </span><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">enforcement of Baltimore’s curfew. It is well known that NLG observers do not </span><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">participate in protests and are trained to never interfere with the police. The </span><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">harsh and unjustified action of the police in arresting neutral observers directly </span><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">illustrates the counterproductive and unconstitutional nature of curfews generally.</span></div>
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<div>National Lawyers Guild Mass Defense Coordinator, Abi Hassen explained, “the <span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">events of Saturday night vividly illustrate how the curfew itself created the very </span><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">problems it purported to solve. Curfews are an unacceptable exercise of police </span><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">force and violence that promise to provoke rather than quell further resentment </span><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">and unrest.”</span></div>
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<div>“The Constitution does not have office hours. No city should be in the practice of <span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">revoking its peoples’ First Amendment and other constitutional rights,” says NLG </span><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">Maryland Mass Defense Committee member and University of Baltimore </span><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">Assistant Professor of Law Colin Starger.</span></div>
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<div>Contacts:</div>
<div>Colin Starger (See above)</div>
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<div>Abi Hassen, NLG Mass Defense Coordinator</div>
<div><a href="mailto:abi@nlg.org">abi@nlg.org</a>, (347) 470-5859</div>
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<div><a href="http://media.wix.com/ugd/5a8628_4d07f1f4e6354de88cfc65e7056fcd89.pdf" style="line-height: 1.46667em;">Download PDF</a><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;"> from </span><a href="http://nlgmaryland.org" style="line-height: 1.46667em;">nlgmaryland.org</a></div>
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<div><span style="font-size:11px;">(Photo: screengrab from <a href="http://www.citypaper.com/news/freddiegray/bcpnews-video-of-medics-legal-observers-being-arrested-as-prisoners-chant-from-inside-baltimore-city-detenti-20150502,0,2388702.story">video</a> at City Paper)</span></div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/359" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Baltimore</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/360" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Maryland</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/498" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">NLG-Maryland</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/36" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">protest</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/123" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">policing protest</a> </div>
Sun, 03 May 2015 16:27:41 +0000Tasha1675 at http://www.nlg.orghttp://www.nlg.org/news/releases/nlg-maryland-decries-arrests-12-legal-observers-may-2-protests-calls-curfew#comments[ACTION ALERT] Legal Support Needed for Freddie Gray Actions in Baltimorehttp://www.nlg.org/news/announcements/action-alert-legal-support-needed-freddie-gray-actions-baltimore
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<div><img alt="" src="//www.nlg.org/sites/default/files/images/justice4freddie%20AP.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 333px;" width="500" height="333" /><br /><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 22.0000495910645px; text-align: right;"> (Image via AP)</span></div>
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<div><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">The National Lawyers Guild stands in solidarity with Baltimore protesters as they call for justice for Freddie Gray's brutal murder by the police. The NLG National Office has been working with lawyers and organizers on the ground to provide legal support for this weeks ongoing actions. Our mass defense coordinator, Abi Hassen will be joining the legal defense team in Baltimore today. You can reach him directly at </span><a href="mailto:abi@nlg.org" style="line-height: 1.46667em;" target="_blank">abi@nlg.org</a><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">. There is an immediate need for legal observers and lawyers - especially those of you licensed to practice in Maryland. Folks are also needed to provide jail support and criminal defense for people who are arrested. If you or someone you know is arrested call</span><strong style="line-height: 1.46667em;"> <a href="tel:%28443%29%20814-9160" target="_blank">(443) 814-9160</a>. </strong><span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">Here are some ways you can get involved: </span></div>
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<div><strong>VOLUNTEER ON THE GROUND</strong></div>
<div>If you are in or around Baltimore, your support is urgently needed. Volunteer slots for Tues-Fri are currently open. Please let us know your availability at <a href="http://fergusonlegaldefense.com/baltimoresupport" target="_blank"><strong>fergusonlegaldefense.com/<wbr></wbr>baltimoresupport</strong></a></div>
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<div><strong>LEGAL OBSERVER TRAININGS</strong></div>
<p> Two Legal Observer trainings will be held on <span data-term="goog_418136492" tabindex="0">Tues., April 28 at noon and 6 PM</span> at 235 Holliday Street, Baltimore, MD 21202. </p>
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An additional training will be held at <span data-term="goog_418136493" tabindex="0">6 PM</span> on <span data-term="goog_418136494" tabindex="0">Thursday, April 30</span>, location TBD.</div>
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<div><strong>UPDATES</strong></div>
<div>If you are not already registered please visit <a href="http://fergusonlegaldefense.com/baltimore" target="_blank">fergusonlegaldefense.<wbr></wbr>com/baltimore</a> to sign up for email updates. </div>
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<strong>BAIL FUND </strong> </div>
<div>A bail fund was set up by <a href="http://bmoreunited.org/" target="_blank">bmoreunited.org</a> for protesters who are arrested. You can contribute to it here: <a href="https://www.crowdrise.com/legalbailsupportforbaltimore/fundraiser/tremurphy" target="_blank">https://www.crowdrise.<wbr></wbr>com/<wbr></wbr>legalbailsupportforbaltimore/<wbr></wbr>fundraiser/tremurphy</a></div>
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<div>Stay tuned for more updates. </div>
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<div>In Solidarity,</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Pooja Gehi</div>
<div>NLG <span style="line-height: 1.46667em;">Executive Director</span></div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/359" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Baltimore</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/109" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">police accountability</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/436" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Call to Action</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/42" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Legal Observer</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/36" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">protest</a> </div>
Tue, 28 Apr 2015 19:30:08 +0000Tasha1674 at http://www.nlg.orghttp://www.nlg.org/news/announcements/action-alert-legal-support-needed-freddie-gray-actions-baltimore#commentsNLG Kicks Off the 2013 Poor People's Campaignhttp://www.nlg.org/news/blog/nlg-kicks-2013-poor-peoples-campaign
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<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://www.nlg.org/sites/default/files/styles/full_node/public/images/Poor%20People%20s%20Campaign%202013%20Baltimore%20Photo%20by%20Brenda%20Ryan.jpg?itok=RJtrdWTd" width="400" height="260" alt="Poor People&#039;s Campaign 2013 Baltimore. Photo by Brenda Ryan" title="Poor People&#039;s Campaign 2013 Baltimore. Photo by Brenda Ryan" /> </div>
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Traci Yoder </div>
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<p>On May 9, the Maryland chapter of the National Lawyers Guild hosted a celebration of multiple historic civil rights milestones, including what would have been the 100th birthday of Rosa Parks and the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. The NLG gathering was also a send-off for a march commemorating the 45th anniversary of the Poor People’s Campaign, a 1968 effort to push for economic and social justice for poor people in the United States. The evening was an inspirational gathering of social justice lawyers, activists, artists, and people who took part in the campaign.</p>
<p><img height="432" width="550" style="width: 550px; height: 432px; float: right;" alt="Poor People s Campaign 1968. The National Welfare Rights Organization marching to end hunger. Photo from the Jack Rottier Collection" title="Poor People s Campaign 1968. The National Welfare Rights Organization marching to end hunger. Photo from the Jack Rottier Collection" class="media-element file-default" typeof="foaf:Image" src="//www.nlg.org/sites/default/files/resize/Poor%20People%20s%20Campaign%201968%20Welfare%20Rights%20Organization%20The%20National%20Welfare%20Rights%20Organization%20marching%20to%20end%20hunger.%20Photo%20from%20the%20Jack%20Rottier%20Collection.-550x432.jpg" /></p>
<p><strong>The 1968 Poor People’s Campaign </strong></p>
<p>The original Poor People’s Campaign was organized by Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Council with the aim of pointing the civil rights movement’s tried tactic of nonviolent civil disobedience at the issue of socioeconomic inequality. Conceived as the second phase of the civil rights movements, the campaign was designed to highlight the economic disparities that hindered racial equality. As King <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/dr-martin-luther-kings-economics-through-jobs-freedom">argued</a> shortly before he was assassinated, "If a man doesn't have a job or an income, he has neither life nor liberty nor the possibility for the pursuit of happiness. He merely exists."</p>
<p>In February 1968, King announced the specific demands of the campaign: $30 billion in government funding for antipoverty efforts, guaranteed full employment and income, and the annual construction of 500,000 affordable residences. By late May, thousands of people had marched to Washington D.C. to demand that the federal government implement an Economic Bill of Rights. The protestors set up a tent city named “Resurrection City,” which remained for six weeks until the camp was forcibly evicted by police using tear gas.</p>
<p><strong>The 2013 Poor People’s Campaign</strong></p>
<p>To honor this historic civil rights event, a coalition of Maryland social justice organizations coordinated a Poor People’s March from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. <a href="http://peoplespowerassemblies.org/2013-poor-peoples-campaign/">in May 2013</a>. The march brought attention to the same economic inequalities highlighted 50 years before, as well as contemporary issues such as police brutality, mass incarceration, inadequate healthcare and education, and the high social and economic costs of war.</p>
<p>The NLG organized a send-off for the march at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore—a museum dedicated to Maryland's African American history and culture. Music, food, art, and speakers all combined to create a festive, inspirng atmosphere. Some 100 attendees listened to a variety of speakers, met representatives from Maryland social justice organizations, and sang along with the Charm City Labor Choir. Organizers screened the documentary <em>Unequal Justice</em> while guests enjoyed the same brown bag lunch that marchers in 1968 carried with them on the walk from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The event also celebrated new artistic reflections on social justice, including a special exhibit in the museum by visual artist and illustrator Brian Collins. Many guests wrote letters to Congress to send along with the marchers, who set out the morning of Saturday, May 11.</p>
<p>Local attorneys, historians, journalists, and civil rights activists spoke about the original march as well as the implications of the civil rights movement today. Indeed, many of the original concerns of the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign—poverty, income inequality, unemployment, and lack of affordable housing—continue to affect millions of people.</p>
<p>As NLG conveners Betsy Cunningham and Curtis Cooper reminded attendees, “The struggle for basic human and civil rights is part of every American’s history.”</p>
<p>For more information, see the NLG Maryland <a href="http://www.nlgmaryland.org/">website</a>, which includes an oral history of the 1968 Poor Peoples March.​</p>
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<div class="field-tags">
<a href="/taxonomy/term/357" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">civil rights movement</a> </div>
<div class="field-tags">
<a href="/taxonomy/term/358" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">economic justice</a> </div>
<div class="field-tags">
<a href="/taxonomy/term/359" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Baltimore</a> </div>
<div class="field-tags">
<a href="/taxonomy/term/360" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Maryland</a> </div>
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<a href="/taxonomy/term/361" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Martin Luther King</a> </div>
<div class="field-tags">
<a href="/taxonomy/term/362" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Poor People&#039;s Campaign</a> </div>
Mon, 03 Jun 2013 18:46:10 +0000Tasha915 at http://www.nlg.orghttp://www.nlg.org/news/blog/nlg-kicks-2013-poor-peoples-campaign#comments